Hog-trap.



'Iov

f ing means for'catching `and holding hogs for UNITED sTA'Ins PATENT oFrIoE.

i-loeil-TRAF.

Specification of ILetters Patent.

` Patented nec. 25, 1906.

Application nea May L22, 1,906. serial 110.318.219.

To ALibri/honi, kt may concern:

Beit known that-I, BENJAMIN A, ALKIRE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Maryville, in the county `of Nodaway and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hog-Traps, ,of which the following lis a specification.

This invention-relates to the care of live stock, and has special reference to that type of `apparatus termed hog-traps, embody,-

vringing and kother purposes.

To this end the invention has in view a simple and practical construction of hog-` trap comprising a novel construction andarrangement of parts which provide for securely and iirmly holding the head and snout' combination, and ,arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated,

'i and. claimed.

The `essential features ofthe invention involved in carrying out the objects above indicated are necessarily susceptible to structural, change-without departing from ,the scope of the invention, bu t a preferred `embodiment thereof is shown `In the accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure 1 is a perspective view of ka hog-'trap embodyingk the present invention and showing the parts in proper position for receiving or trapping a hog. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view ofthe trap, showing the parts positioned for holding the hog during the operation of ringing. Fig.A 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 3 Bof Fig. 2.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several iigures in the drawings. Incarrying out .the present invention the same embodies in its general organization a main trap-body, (designated in its entirety by proper position the numeral 1.) This trap-body is .of a sufficient size -to'accommodate all Vsizes .of the common type .of hogs and being o f Aa slatted formation maybe properly termed a slatted stall." This stall is provided -With the s latted side portions 2, the corner-posts 3., and the opposite longitudinal bottom side sillsi. Both the front and rear Aends .of the stall 1 are open to permit .the passage .of the animal therethrough, Yand the rearopen end is entirely uncovered at all times, while the front open end of the stall'is designed to be covered and uncoveredl through the .employment of afront door 5 of suitable strength for barring egress .of the animal when captured within the trap. The said front ,door 5 may be of Aany suitable vdesign and mount.- ing, but for purposes vof illustration the same is shown as being hinged at one edge b means .of the hinges 6 to one side of the ,stal or stall-body, at the front end thereof, and .in its closed position kcovering the front end of the door, .and said door Is designed to be temporarily secured by means of any sluit.- able fastenings-such, for instance, as a fastening-bar 7, having a hinged `connection at one end, as at 8, to one side yof the stall- SiS body and provided at its opposite end with a hook 9 for detachable engagement with a .keeper 1 0, iitted to the opposite side of the stall orstall-body. t

In addition to its hinged mounting upon the front end ortion of the stall-body the front closingoor 5 therefor is provided in its lower edge with .a 'snout-'hole 1v1, designed to `overlie a recessed throat-seat 12, formed centrally in the upper surface fof the front ICO signed to be of suitable .strength for practical purposes and is provided in its lower edge with a neck-opening 15, ada ted to fit Qover the neck of the animal, `as p ainly shown .in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thesaid yoke-board is .also removably held in place through the mediumv of a stay-rod 16, ,arranged transversely of the stall-body, behind the upper end portion of the board 14, and designed to adjustably engage in any of a series of rodreceiving holes 17, formed in directly opposite side portions of the stall or stall-body. The said rod 16 is placed in any of the said holes 17, according to the thickness of the board 14 which maybe required, according to the strength or size of the animal, and also the said board 14 is provided upon one side thereof with a series of transverse spaced supportingcleats 18, one of which is adapted to engage beneath the rod 16 to prevent the hog from lifting the yoke-board out of place. Several of the cleats 1S are employed to accommodate the yoke-board to animals of difl ferent sizes.

In combination with the arts described the apparatus includes a shiftable floor 19, whose longitudinal side edges slidably engage the longitudinal guideways 20, formed at opposite inner sides of the stall-body, at the bottom thereof.' The said shiftable sliding floor 19 is adapted to slide through a front guideo ening 21, provided through or beneath the t eshold-sill 13, and the front or eXtreme front end of the said floor is designed to have pivotally or otherwise suitably connected thereto, as at 22, the front end portion of an inclined gate-carrier frame 23. This gatecarrier frame essentially comprises opposite side bars arranged upon the outside of the stall-body and connected at their inner upper ends by a air of cross-bars 24, spaced apart to leave t e opening 25, forming an upper holding-keeper for the removable tail-gate 26, the lower end of which gate is adapted to rest on the lower holding-seat 27, provided on the floor 19, between the cleats 28 thereon.

To provide for operating the floor, there is employed an operating-lever 30, consisting of a lever-frame having opposite side bars 31, connected at their upper ends by a crosshandle 32' and whose lower ends are contracted to form engaging pins 33, loosely and pivotally engaging the pivot-holes 34, formed directly in the floor 19. The side bars 31 of the lever are pivoted intermediate their ends, as at 35, to the inner sides of the stall-body, and fixed side cleats 36 are preferably arranged upon'the inner sides of the slatted body in advance of the lever side bars to limit the forward throw thereof.

The trap may be conveniently employed at vthe opening of a gate or any other convenient position where a hog may be readily trapped, and to accomplish this result the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings-that is, with the front bar 5 closed, the yoke-,board 14 and the tail-gate 36 both elevatedf` The hog-is driven into the trap and the tail-gate 26 dropped, thus trapping the animal. Then by swinging the lever 31 sufficiently and at the same time pressing the yoke-board 14 down upon the neck of the animal the snout is forced into the position desired through the snout-hole 11 in the front door. Then the animal is securely held for ringing or other purposes, and after the operation is completed the front door is unfastened, the yoke-board 14 lifted, and the animal is free to move out of the stall, which movement may be accelerated, if necessary,

. by sliding the shiftable iloor farther forward to such extent as may be permitted by the play left for the lever 30 after positioning the animal. 4

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, use, and advantages of the herein-described hog-trap will be apparent without further description 5 but at this point it should be further observed that the fixed side cleats 36 are particularly designed as guiding members for guiding the yoke-board 14 into position: In this connection it will be observed that the said guiding and stop cleats 36 enable the operator to start the yokeboard or gate 14 behind the head of the hog in an inclined position as the animal is moved toward the front door, and in straightening the board or gate 14 to a position where it may be held by the fastening 16 the said board or gate acts as a lever on the head of the animal, so that the latter will be compelled to thrust his snout through the hole in the front door.

I claim- 1. A hog-trap comprising a stall provided at its front end with head-holding means, and with a rear open end, a lever-operated shiftable stall-Hoor, and a removable tail-gate supported on and carried with said floor.

2. A hog-trap comprising a stall open at both ends, a snout-holding front door arranged to cover and uncover the front end of the stall, a neck-holding yoke-board arranged within the stall-body at the inner side of its front opening, a shiftable fioor, and a ail-gate supported on and carried with said oor.

3. A hog-trap comprising a stall open at both ends, a snout-holding front door arranged to cover and uncover the front opening of the stall, a vertically-adjustable neckholding yoke-board removably held within the front end of the stall at the inner side of its front opening, a sliding stall-floor mounted within the stall-body, a gate-carrier frame carried by said floor, a tail-board held upon the floor by said frame, and a swinging lever mounted upon the stall-body and pivotally connected with said floor.

4. A hog-trap comprising a stall open at both ends and provided with a front threshold-sill, a front door hinged to the front end of the stall and having a snout-hole overlying said threshold-sill, a vertically-adjustable yoke-board detaohably fastened within the TOO IIO

839,252 p Y p 3 front end ofthe stall and rovi dedv in its lower mounted on the stall and operatively conedge with ya neck-engaging opening, a shiftneoted with said floor. 1o able floor slidably mounteol` within the bot-` In testimony whereof Iphereunto afX my tom portion of the'stall, a gate-carrier frame "signature in the presence of two witnesses.

carried by said floor and having a holding- BENJAMIN A. ALKIRE. keeper disposed above the floor, a removable Witnesses:

tail-gate arranged in said keeper and engag- 4 GEO. E. FLEMMING, ing the loor, and a swinging lever-frame W. C. FRANK. 

